Customer Reviews

Olympus SP-590UZ 12MP Digital Camera with 26X Wide Angle Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

*Updated 18 July 2009

I bought this camera to replace my Olympus SP 565UZ. Overall the SP 590 out performs the 565 with the exception of its much higher price.

Zoom: I think most people who are looking at this camera are doing so because of the 26x zoom feature, so I will remark on this first. In my armature opinion the zoom on this camera is awesome. Obviously when you are stretching out to the full length of the zoom you are going to want some kind of support (such as a gorilla pod if you're a backpacker like me) because dual image stabilization can only do so much for you to prevent blurry pictures of something that is miles away. I have been able to capture some pretty good photos of objects that are not easily viewed by the human eye. I do recommend using light filters, but I definitely give this feature 5 stars

Physical features: As a previous reviewer noted, right out of the box this camera feels pretty cheap due to its larger size and remarkably light weight. After handling it for a while I defiantly think it is more durable than the 565 was though. Its access doors are much beefier than the 565's and it has an aluminum casing around the lens that you can grab onto. I like this feature because the 565 had almost nothing to hold onto in the front when you wanted to add that extra two handed stability to your shot. Once you throw some batteries into the camera the weight does go up and the cheap feeling goes down.

Battery life - I love the fact that the SP 590 takes AA's instead of a Li-ion batteries (this was a deciding factor in me not getting the Nikon P90) because it guarantees that I can just pick up another set of AA's on long trips or camping where you're not around a reliable power source long enough to recharge your batteries. I just took this camera on a two week backpacking trip and I went through two sets of Sony 2500 mAh Ni-Mh batteries. Conservatively speaking I took well over 1000 Pictures and about 40 minutes of video on just those batteries. I give these batteries and this camera's use of them 5 stars.

Operating software: A note on some of the software features. The SP 590 has a built in "beauty" feature and a few other "picture fixing" programs, these features seem mostly like a gimmick because it takes a lot of time for the camera to process the images, and it's something that is more suitably done on your computer with photo editing software. If you are in "beauty mode" don't plan on taking any quick shots because you can expect a 10 or more second delay between shots.

Manual features: As I've said before I am an armature at photography but one of the major reasons I bought this camera was because I had mastered what few manual controls there were on most point and shot cameras and I wanted to take the next step. The SP 590 offers plenty of room for me to grow in this department. This is no DSLR but it is a good in-between camera. I do wish that there was some way to use a manual focus, like there is on the SP 570uz, because when you are using the zoom it's hard to get the camera to auto zoom on the item you are trying to capture especially when there are items like power lines between you and the shot you want.

Media Card: I've said it before and I'll say it again, it finally seems as though Olympus gotten over their proprietary high horse when it comes to XD media cards. The SP 590 and all other new Olympus cameras come with adapters to allow the use of Micro SD cards. The problem with previous cameras was that if you wanted to take a panorama picture you had to have an OLYMPUS brand XD card. This is not an issue with the SP 590 as it allows you to take panorama shots with any card or even just the internal memory. The 590 also recognizes the higher write speeds of Class 4 and Class 6 Micro SD cards. Which has solved one of the major headaches associated with VGA videos on the previous models.
Video: The SP 590 offers VGA video recording size of 640x480 at 30 frames per second. Because the 590 recognizes the higher write speeds of the class 4 and 6 Micro SD's you can now record 20:00+ min videos without having to purchase a high speed XD type M+ card. Another major complaint of Olympus cameras has been addressed with the zoom feature in video mode. The SP 590 DOES allow you to zoom in and out while taking video, a feature that is not common on previous models.

Megapixels: This camera does take up to 12mp shots which is great if you plan on blowing all of your photos up to a poster size image or larger. But I usually print no bigger than an 8x10 and I don't want to fill my computer up with picture files (a 12mp picture uses over 2.5mb of space) so Leave my camera at 5mp (which only uses about 1mb of space).

Over all: Even though I feel the price is a bit high right now I give this camera 5 stars. It fits well in the hands and takes very good pictures. It's compact enough to take around on trips and you don't have to worry about having extra lens as with DSLR's, but you still get some of the desired features as a DSLR.

I've owned this camera for a month now. Here's how I rate it:

PROS:
-Great zoom capacity - fast.
-All the shooting modes you could possibly want (I believe there are 28 picture modes)
-Automatic,Manual, Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority modes on dial
-Dedicated Review mode on dial for picture viewing
-Capability to go full manual ; reasonably good manual focus to infinity.
-Good construction & solid build (droped it from about a 12" and no damage was done)
-Olympus Master 2 is bundled with the camera. Nice basic image editor.
-Offers ISO 64
-Easy menu to navigate (in color to boot!)
-2.7" LCD Screen
-Liveview (lets you see picture on LCD before shooting as it will appear)
-Various drive modes; Single, sequential, high 1(6 fps at 5mp), high 2(10fps at 3mp), bracket and more.
-Various Auto-focus options to meet the way you want to shoot and compose.
-Powerful built in flash
-Amazing Macro capabilities
- 3 Light Metering Options (ESP, Spot, Center-weight)
- Good battery life if you follow some of the tips to keep your battery life optimal
- Image stablization works reasonably well. There is a definate differance between shooting and comparing with this option on or off, but don't expect miracles when shooting with slow shutter speeds.

CONS:
-Shooting above ISO 100 will produce noticable noise. Only ISO 64 produces noise free images.
-AF can be slow to acquire especially at full zoom or low light settings.
-Image Quality is inconsistant. If you don't plan on view your images at 100%, the image quality is top notch. If you do view at 100% at 12MP the image quality is very frustrating. Some are sharp, some not so much regardless of use of tripod or not. Overall, the images are "soft".
-Needs plenty of light
-Not good for fast action if you want noise free images - although Full time AF and AF Predict are available and work reasonably well.
-AF focus issues. Regardless of how accurately you focus, the images may not come out sharp even when the camera is stabalized by use of tripod, monopod, etc.

SUMMARY: If you are going to use this camera for snapshots of the family, vacation, wildlife, etc. I would give it a five star rating as you will rarely view or print out your images at 100%. It is a great camera for learning the basics of camera operation and composition.

If you are looking for a compact DSLR that you wont need to buy glass for - this camera will terribly disappoint you. The image quality and consistancy simply is not there. It has often been compared to DSLR's, which simply is not fair. If you want a DSLR, buy a DSLR. This is a point and shoot with an obsurdly long zoom range and a large host of options that is very portable and easy to carry.

Personally I have successfuly used this camera to shoot various snapshots and also have successfuly used the camera to sell micro-stock, albeit many rejections due to technical reasons - but I expected this as it has a smaller image sensor and cant produce the image quality of DSLRS with much larger sensors (even by 4:3 standards, I think 12MP is pushing it at this sensor size). Then again, to buy an entry level DSLR and all the lenses to get the range of this camera you'd be looking at a minimum of about $800 for a cheapo body and cheapo lenses which probably wouldnt fare all that much better against this camera...

CONCLUSION: Buy it if you want a great all purpose / travel camera! The price has dropped well below MSRP and its a great value! If you are looking for a DSLR, why are you looking at this camera? Save your pennies and buy an E-Series camera from Olympus!

I wanted a camera to take bird photos to substantiate sight records and to take landscapes and panoramas to print up to 12x16" and this seems to do the job well. I've had the camera for a few days and have found it well made (much plastic, but light to carry), quick to focus in sunny or moderate light, and the lens seems excellent for a zoom. The "movie" mode works well, and there are a number of other worth-while features I've yet to try. The image-stabilization has allowed me to take sharp hand-held photos at maximum zoom by leaning against a fixed object. So far, it's been a pleasure to carry (when compared to a slr plus lenses) to use, and the results have been pleasing.

I just purchased - and returned - the new Olympus 590UZ 26X seperzoom. It is a very large brick of a camera body and I can see hand cramps if trying to carry it all day (and I am a big guy). It has a very cheap feel to it - the plastics are very hard and the chrome tube of the barrel sounds hollow - not the quality I expected from Olympus at this price. I loved the feel of the SP-570 and thought this would be better but it was much worse.

The long lens had difficulty focusing at mid -zoom to its extreme at dusk. I suspect all low light will be hampered by the aperture restraints of a 676mm lens.

The image stabilization was also ineffective at mid-zoom and out. Even with a steady hand this thing will require a tripod to get clear shots.

There are neat features on the camera like panaroama that stiches inside the camera, a new double exposure feature that worked very well as many other pre-set scenes. The camera interface has been simplified from the
sp-570 and was enjoyable and easy to navigate and use without cracking the manual.

But for a camera that promised to be the only lens you have to carry I was very disappointed in both performance and feel.

I suspect that other new superzoons tryng to reach out past 20X will have similar issues. I am now back to deciding between the Canon SX10 IS and Lumix DMC-FZ28 as the two best with realistic barrel lengths.

I've owned a Canon Rebel XT for the last 5 years. The problem with a real SLR especially a Canon is that in order to take nice pictures in a variety of setting you need 2-3 different lenses(very pricey with a Canon). My son graduated from high school in May and after the ceremony wife promptly informed me "I NEED A CAMERA THAT CAN ZOOM IN! Like the people who sat in front of us!!" I concurred. A camera that can't what you need it to do is pretty worthless. Fast forward to July. Michael Jackson passes and my wife is a huge MJ fan said she wanted to go to his funeral. So we booked plane tickets to LA. We figured we could visit her sister while we were there. She also reminded me in her words "We need a GOOD camera!" I could have debated the fact that the Rebel XT is a GOOD camera as long as you have all the lenses but like I said without them it is pretty useless. So I set out researching "Mega Zoom" cameras. None of them have consistently good reviews. It seems that you trade one thing or another between models. One has a good battery life but not so good pictures. Another takes good pictures but has a terrible battery life. Still some have old school image stabilization. Then I came across the Olympus SP-590UZ at the Costco website. There weren't many reviews to be fond but it seems that the Cameras in this family of Olympus Megazooms have a good set of feature without any major trade offs. Not to mention that 26X zoom is one of the highest right now for a Megazoom. The Costco price of $399 was something I was willing to pay since it is about as much as I'd pay for a cheap zoom lens for my Canon. The only problem was that to order the camera from Costco would take 4-7 days and we were leaving for LA in two days. My search for a place where I could buy the camera and have it the next day led me to Amazon. It worked out well that the camera was $50 less than Costco and that was pretty good seeing how Costco was $50-70 less than other people.

Now for the actual review:

This camera takes amazing pictures. The zoom lens worked exactly as expected. One thing that you have to be aware of though is that the more you zoom in, the more light you're going to need. The pictures we took outside on a tour of the "stars" homes turned out really well. The pictures that we took in the Japanese restaurant at my son's farewell party before shipping him off to college also turned out well but zoom amounted to the left foot and right foot. Using the camera's zoom resulted in many streaky and blurry pictures. The quality of the picture when done right would rival something in Life or Nat Geo. I may
be exaggerating a little but not much. I have never taken better pictures in my life. And yes. The pictures are far superior to the Rebel. I know the Rebel is 8mp and this camera is 12mp but I think the biggest advantage is the image stabilization and the logic in this camera.

I've had this camera now for about a month, and am generally very pleased with it. If your photo interest is wildlife or birds, it's a great choice. The viewfinder works well and is necessary when zooming out. I've been able to get full (26X) zoom shots with no vibration blur, shooting handheld (brace yourself well) with no tripod. Don't expect much zoom capability in in low light, however. Lens sharpness is not what I had hoped for, but for most purposes it's sufficient. The camera is fairly compact and light for its size. Wish it had RAW file capture, but......
No camera is perfect, but this one is very good for the price.

OK, so let's get to the point. Loves everything about this camera. Light weight for what it is. Controls are pretty self explanatory if you know cameras. Battery life is awesome..or it's the Olympus rechargeable I bought! But here we go...I've been using this since June and I have to give up on it. The focus just isn't there. Doesn't matter the focal length - close, medium or full zoom the auto focus goes nuts trying to find a focus point when you think you have it...snap. (oh and you miss things will it goes nuts) Only to find out when you download the image, it's barely web quality. I hate that I now hate this camera. Come on. Kids in halloween costumes - how hard is it to focus on that. So sad to report that I'm shopping for another camera. It's so close to a perfect camera, everything I wanted but one thing I can't live without is a sharp focused photo.

The SP 590 UZ Olympus camera is amazing. I took some images from atop Pikes Peak and at 26x I could see cars and trucks on the streets of Colorado Springs below in the photograph.....the camera was hand held.

The close up settings render very good results. The colors of the photo's are so good I don't have to make any corrections with Photoshop. The 28mm wide angle setting takes fantastic landscape images.

The camera fits in my hand perfectly and it is comfortable when looking through the view finder. My only complant is the lack of ability to use a lens filters.

I can honestly say that the SP 590 UZ is the best camera.....both digital and non digital....that I have ever owned. It is also very easy to use with several programmed settings for different situations. I have put the camera on a tripod and taken some good images of the moon at 26X.

I have been pushing a shutter button since 1974 and consider myself an experienced photographer. I can honestly say that the Olympus 590 UZ is a great camera for both an experienced or a first time photographer.

This camera has provided me great pleasure and excelled for the purpose I purchased it - nature documentation. It is a continuing wonder how Olympus was able to get a lens group to go from a 35mm camera equivalent of 26mm to 676mm with an excellent macro capability. It has provided tac sharp images of plants, dragon flies, damsel flies and butterflies, which were subjects I wanted to use the camera for. I have a first generation digital SLR and this camera generally takes far better pictures. It is not perfect, and certainly no competition for the current generation SLRs as far as image quality in demanding requirements, but it is far easier to carry on long walks with other equipment. The image stabilization works well, even at full zoom, hand held, in reasonably good light. The "reasonably good light part" may be the slight weakness of this camera. Without moderately good light, the auto focusing can sometimes be difficult on small objects and some noise is introduced in the images. However, I don't want to overstate this problem, as this is certainly an issue to some degree with other cameras in this class. In any case, I would highly recommend this camera for anyone who wants a very versatile and light camera - until next year when some manufacturer comes out with an even more marvelous camera.

So far I have been very pleased with the camera.
- The picture quality is very good
- Going from wide to zoomed is definitly a plus
- Light - easy to carry
- Great manual adjustments
- All the connections covers are solid - big improvement from previous versions
Olympus lived up to its quality.